1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to speakers for audio systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a speaker system having a three-sided pyramidal-like cabinet with pyramid-like reflectors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various designs and constructions have been proposed for audio speakers and their cabinets, some of which adopt pyramidal-shaped components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,866 to Fox, U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,170 to Williams, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,871 to Barbe each disclose one or more speakers (tweeters and/or woofers) whose sound is reflected off a pyramid reflector. Fox employs a single speaker 24 and reflector 32, with the speaker 24 facing the back of the cabinet 12 and the reflector 32 serving to reflect sound toward the front of the cabinet. Williams discloses a vertical series of speakers 26 (FIGS. 2 and 3), each equipped with its own pyramid reflector 32. In FIG. 3, the reflectors 32 are between the speakers 26, and the speakers 26 face each other. Barbe discloses a woofer 4 and tweeter 7 mounted on pyramid reflectors 13 and 12, respectively. A diffuser 9 is placed between the woofer 4 and tweeter 7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,688 to Kery discloses a pyramid-shaped speaker enclosure 10 that may be fitted with a pyramid-shaped grill 52 (FIGS. 2 and 7). Finally, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 281,316 to Gary appears to portray a speaker system that includes a woofer and tweeter, vertically arranged, with pyramid reflectors.
A perceived drawback of the above speakers utilizing a standard four-sided pyramid reflector is that sound is reflected from such a reflector in directions 90 degrees apart. As a result, the sound can be reflected by an adjacent wall straight back toward the speaker, resulting in sound cancelation or distortion. An additional shortcoming of the speaker disclosed by Barbe is the additional cancellation of sound as a result of the tweeter and bass facing each other in the cabinet.